Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Help to Grow Scheme

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the threshold in the Help to Grow: Management scheme from five employees to one to enable more businesses to participate.

Lord Callanan: The Help to Grow Management programme has been designed to support businesses where we expect to see the biggest impact. There are currently no plans to change the criteria relating to the number of employees, but we will continue to keep the programme under review to ensure that it is able to effectively support businesses and deliver the intended boost to productivity.

Energy: Billing

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of households that will receive the £200 energy bill rebate but repay the sum in future bills; and what estimate they have made of the demographic profile such households will have, particularly (1) age, and (2) income.

Lord Callanan: As announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 February, the £200 assistance for energy bills will be provided through all energy bills from October 2022. This will be recouped through all energy bills from April 2023. The details for this process are currently being established.

Sanjeev Gupta

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had with Sanjeev Gupta between January 2019 and December 2021.

Lord Callanan: The Government holds many meetings with companies to discuss a wide range of business issues. Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is attached, but is also published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetingsMinisters meetings 2019-to date (xlsx, 298.3KB)

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 20 December 2021 (HL4956), whether they will publish the details of the Government to Government agreements with (1) Kenya, (2) Malaysia, and (3) the Philippines.

Lord Kamall: Copies of the agreements with Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines on healthcare workforce recruitment are attached.MoU between the UKand the Philippines  (docx, 24.9KB)UK- Kenya health bilateral agreement (pdf, 583.7KB)UK Malasia mou recruitment of healthcare workers (pdf, 2695.0KB)

NHS: Protective Clothing

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the NHS has different standards for surgical gown sterility to those used by the World Health Organisation; and to provide details of any contracts for surgical gowns that did not meet NHS standards since March 2020.

Lord Kamall: The National Health Service standards for sterile gowns are the same as the World Health Organization standards.The Department’s technical assurance unit is currently undertaking a formal sterility testing programme for China-manufactured sterile surgical gowns under the direction of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.We are unable to provide the information requested on individual contracts as it is commercially sensitive.

Attorney General

Gender Based Violence: Prosecutions

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to increase the number of prosecutions for offences relating to violence against women and girls.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: Tackling offending against women and girls is a priority for this Government, as shown by the introduction of the landmark Domestic Abuse (DA) Act. The CPS is working hard to deliver justice and protect the public and has recently published an ambitious 12-month domestic abuse programme to help narrow the disparity between reporting and criminal justice outcomes. Rape and serious sexual offences can also disproportionately affect women and girls. The CPS is committed to securing justice in every possible rape case, which means significantly increasing the number they bring to court, year on year. It is improving collaboration with police and other partners to take an offender-centric approach to building these cases, expanding its specialist RASSO units and improving the support it gives rape victims. The Ministry of Justice are investing £27m to create 700 new posts for Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, and that figure will increase to 1000 by the end of 2024/2025. In order to support victims throughout the criminal justice process.

Fraud

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the (1) effectiveness, and (2) efficiency, of the (a) Serious Fraud Office, and (b) Crown Prosecution Service, in tackling (i) fraud, and (ii) economic crime.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: We are determined to make the UK a more hostile environment for all forms of economic crime – including fraud. As prosecuting agencies, both the CPS and SFO play a critical role in this aim and continue to deliver strong operational results. We have strengthened our fight against economic crime through publication of a landmark Economic Crime Plan in July 2019, which brings together government, law enforcement and the private sector. We are making measurable progress in delivering the Economic Crime Plan with 34 of the actions complete and work well advanced on the remaining 18. In 2020-21, the CPS prosecuted over 6,500 defendants for Fraud with an 85.6% conviction rate. The SFO successfully secured orders requiring the payment by defendants of almost £1.3 billion to the taxpayer over the past five years.

Crown Prosecution Service: Standards

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service in ensuring access to justice for victims of crime.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) is currently conducting a programme of CPS Area specific inspections to assess casework quality and treatment of victims and witnesses. These inspections have recognised some good work in what continues to be a very challenging environment. The CPS recognise that they still need to improve on their work with victims and witnesses and have commissioned a significant piece of research to better understand victims’ needs. The findings of this research will be used to inform their future work on improving communications with victims. The CPS will also apply for special measures available to assist victims and witnesses to give their best evidence, this includes the use of court appointed intermediaries, screens and in certain cases pre-recording a victim’s evidence.

Rule of Law

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they act in accordance with the rule of law.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The freedoms and protections that we all enjoy rely on the rule of law. This is an important constitutional principle which this Government takes extremely seriously and which demands: equality under the law; access to independent and impartial justice; government subject to the law; law that is clear and certain. The Law Officers have a particular role in respect of upholding the rule of law. I, and my fellow Law Officers, take that responsibility very seriously whenever we are called upon to provide advice.

Wales Office

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Wales

Baroness Wilcox of Newport: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the First Minister of Wales regarding the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The UK Government has regular contact with the First Minister of Wales on a range of issues, including how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up communities in Wales. Through its share of the £2.6 billion UKSPF, we will boost productivity, jobs and living standards right across Wales whilst empowering local leaders to restore local pride and a sense of community. This is in addition to the investment Wales will receive though other local growth funds such as the Levelling Up Fund and the Community Ownership Fund.

Department for Education

Private Education: GCE A-level

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to establish an inquiry into the manner in which A-level grades in independent schools were assessed in 2021.

Baroness Barran: Parents and students can have confidence in the grades awarded in 2021. Overall results in 2021 showed success for those targeting the top grades from all types of schools and from all backgrounds. The grades awarded reflected students’ hard work in what was a hugely challenging year.Exam boards set out clear requirements for a robust yet proportionate quality assurance process that supported teachers to make their judgements and ensured that students received meaningful grades. There was a process for both internal and external quality assurance and all centres, including independent schools, had their process for awarding grades checked by exam boards to make sure their arrangements were appropriate. All schools also submitted a selection of student evidence to exam boards, who scrutinised a sample of this work. Of the sample of 1,101 centres who had their submissions scrutinised. 55% were secondary schools or academies, 18% were independent or selective centres, 13% were FE colleges, sixth forms or tertiary colleges and 13% were other centre types (including free schools); broadly in line with the proportion of each centre type nationally.Ofqual have already published significant analysis of the summer 2021 GCSE and A level results, which can be readily accessed. Ofqual has published its report on how it monitored awarding organisations’ delivery and award of qualifications to students in 2021, along with its equalities analysis, published last summer, which reported that exam boards found no evidence that teachers’ judgements were systemically biased in favour of one group of students or another. The report and equalities analysis are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-results-a-levels-and-gcses-summer-2021.Ofqual’s analyses show general stability in the differences in outcomes for students with different protected characteristics compared to previous years and increases in outcomes for many groups. Ofqual have reported that this suggests the changes to the assessment arrangements in 2021 have lessened the unevenness in outcomes we may otherwise have seen.The department is clear that exams are the best form of assessment, which is why we are determined they will take place this summer with adaptations to maximise fairness for young people. The government remains committed to providing world-class education and training for everyone, whatever their background or characteristics and will continue to take the action needed to address disparities to help all pupils make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ministry of Justice

Television Licences: Fees and Charges

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions for failure to pay for a TV licence have led to imprisonment in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The number of people admitted to prison for failing to pay fines in respect of the non-payment of a TV licence in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years can be viewed in the attached table. A person cannot receive a custodial sentence for TV licence evasion but can be committed to prison for wilfully refusing to pay the fine. Imprisonment is only pursued as a matter of last resort.HL6018_table (xlsx, 17.8KB)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sait Erdal Dinçer

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they are making to the government of Turkey regarding (1) the United Nations' Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and (2) the dismissal of Sait Erdal Dincer as head of the Turkish Statistical Institute.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As an active UN member state, we encourage all countries in the UN to abide by these important guiding principles. We have not raised the dismissal of Mr Dincer with the Turkish authorities, as this is an internal matter for Turkey.

Crimes against Humanity: Sanctions

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherit is their policy to seek to impose sanctions on armed groups or others who are identified as having committed or participated in crimes against humanity, including the targeted destruction of cultural property and heritage sites.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Syria (United Nations Sanctions) (Cultural Property) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 impose trade sanctions for the purpose of giving effect to the United Kingdom's obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2199 (2015) ('UNSCR 2199'). UNSCR 2199 includes an obligation to take steps to prevent the trade in Syrian cultural property and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance illegally removed from Syria since 15 March 2011, thereby allowing for their eventual safe return to the Syrian people.The Iraq (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 impose trade prohibitions relating to illegally removed cultural property.The UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses, by imposing targeted asset freezes and travel bans. The rights included are: an individual's right to life; right not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and right to be free from slavery, not to be held in servitude or required to perform forced or compulsory labour. Since establishing the Global Human Rights sanctions regime in July 2020, we have imposed sanctions on 81 individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Myanmar, North Korea, Belarus, The Gambia, Ukraine and China.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to deliver aid to those in need in Afghanistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since April 2021, we disbursed over £176 million - £166 million for life-saving humanitarian support inside Afghanistan, including for emergency food, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation, and mine action, and £10 million in neighbouring countries to support new and existing refugees and host communities to support regional stability. NGOs have been, and will remain, vital partners for delivering essential assistance in Afghanistan. We deliver through UN agencies and NGOs who have a track record of delivering in challenging circumstances. We are working with them to assess the changing situation on the ground and assess needs.Ministers and officials have met frequently with humanitarian NGOs and representatives of vulnerable groups. They are in regular touch with our partners to discuss the situation on the ground and address any obstacles to aid getting through. I met Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan before her recent visit to Kabul.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians, published on 1 February; and what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the findings in the report.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights.

Hebron: Shops

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel concerning the closure of Palestinian shops in the Israeli controlled area of Hebron, reportedly, as a form of collective punishment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK will continue to raise the issue of freedom of movement, trade and access into and out of the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities. We recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures and we encourage them to deploy these in a way that minimises tension and uses appropriate force.

Developing Countries

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the new Strategy for International Development between 20 March and 8 April.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government will publish a new International Development Strategy this Spring, that will guide our work for the coming decade and beyond. It will align our development work with the aims and objectives of the Integrated Review.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Muslim charities who are able to reach those in need in Afghanistan about the provision of aid.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since April 2021, we disbursed over £176 million - £166 million for life-saving humanitarian support inside Afghanistan, including for emergency food, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation, and mine action, and £10 million in neighbouring countries to support new and existing refugees and host communities to support regional stability. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) have been, and will remain, vital partners for delivering essential assistance in Afghanistan. We deliver through United Nation (UN) agencies and NGOs who have a track record of delivering in challenging circumstances. We are working with them to assess the changing situation on the ground and assess needs.Ministers and officials have met frequently with humanitarian NGOs and representatives of vulnerable groups. They are in regular touch with our partners to discuss the situation on the ground and address any obstacles to aid getting through. I [Lord Ahmad] met Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan before her recent visit to Kabul.

Israeli Settlements

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Israeli settler structures have been built near Khirbet Humsa Al Fouqa on privately-owned Palestinian land; that the owners of the land were forcibly evicted from their homes; and that an illegal settlement will be constructed on this land.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law. Minister Cleverly raised UK opposition to settlement expansion with the Government of Israel on 9 November. The UK is also clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. On 19 January, Minister Cleverly urged the Government of Israel to stop these practices. The UK raises the issue of demolitions, confiscations and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel, most recently with Israel's Ministry of Defence on 20 January and Ministry of Justice on 27 January.

Palestinians: Recognition of States

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise Palestine as an independent state.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to work closely with international partners to strongly advocate for a two-state solution and encourage a return to meaningful negotiations between both parties.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Middle East and North Africa on 3 February (HC114612) which refers to the need for “strong and thriving Palestinian education” and for the government of Israel to “abide by its obligations under international law”, what steps they will take to ensure that (1) Israel complies with those requirements, and (2) Palestinian children are secured their right to education.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains firmly committed to ensuring access to education for all Palestinians. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of access to education with the Israeli authorities. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Kickstart Scheme

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of (1) the Kickstart programme, or (2) its successor scheme.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department for Work and Pension’s Kickstart Scheme has now seen over 130,000 jobs started by young people. Young people can still start a Kickstart job until the 31st March and our priority remains to get as many young people who need one into a Kickstart job by that date. 1) The Department for Work and Pensions is monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation, and will continue to evaluate the longer term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. Fieldwork for the commissioned evaluation will continue until at least 2023 and we will publish the findings of the evaluation once complete.2) Building on our experience of the Kickstart Scheme and the many new relationships we have established with employers, we have launched the Way to Work campaign. This is a new concerted national drive to help half a million people who are currently on benefits and job ready to move into jobs by the end of June 2022, supporting them to take their next step to building a more secure and prosperous future. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Office for Environmental Protection: Disclosure of Information

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect DEFRA and theOffice of Environmental Protection will (1) agree, and (2) publish, a Framework Document; and whether this will be in draft form.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are committed to working collaboratively with the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to finalise the Defra-OEP Framework Document as soon as possible. The Framework Document will be published in due course, once a final version has been agreed between Defra and the OEP.

Environment Protection

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their Environmental Principles Policy Statement; what is their timetable for it coming into effect; and what interim arrangements they have made for the intervening period.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We will publish the environmental principles draft policy statement as soon as possible, following the consultation we carried out last year. The policy statement will then undergo parliamentary scrutiny and a final version will be published. There will be an implementation period to allow Government departments to prepare for the new duty. Defra has already been working with departments by providing training and ensuring the new duty is clearly captured by existing Government policy guidance documents, such as HM Treasury’s Green Book.

Office for Environmental Protection: Finance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce the budget for the Office for Environmental Protection; and whether this will be ring-fenced within the relevant spending review.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is committed to establishing the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) with sufficient funding to fulfil its statutory functions. The OEP will be given a five-year indicative budget, which will be ring-fenced by Defra within the spending review period. The OEP’s budget for financial year 22/23 and an indicative five-year budget will be announced before it comes into effect at the start of the next financial year.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees they have deported from Afghanistan due to failed UK asylum applications.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Enforced returns to Afghanistan, including deportations, remain paused at this time.The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly release’. The latest data on asylum-related returns from the UK for the top 10 nationalities, which are broken down by return type including enforced returns (of which ‘deportations’ is a subset) can be found in table Ret_04 of the returns summary tables.The data are for the top 10 nationalities of the returnee as opposed to destination of the return. The published data therefore relate to all returns of Afghan nationals, including returns to other safe countries. Data by destination are not currently available. The latest data relate to the year ending June 2021 with Afghanistan in the top 10 nationalities.Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).The term 'deportations' refers to a legally defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available. The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering clandestinely and by means of deception on entry);overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK;breach their conditions of leave;are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction and;have been refused asylum.

Independent Office for Police Conduct

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 2 February (HL Deb col 898), what progress they have made in implementing the recommendationsof the Independent Office of Police Conduct’s report on the alleged misconduct of Mr Mike Veale.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Following an independent investigation conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the then-Acting Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cleveland carefully considered their report and determined that former Chief Constable Mike Veale had a case to answer for gross misconduct. This matter has been referred to an independent panel - with a Legally Qualified Chair - to hold a misconduct hearing in which relevant evidence will be considered and findings made as to Mr Veale’s conduct and any appropriate outcome. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further whilst legal proceedings remain ongoing. A previous IOPC investigation into allegations of misconduct by Mr Veale found that he had a case to answer for alleged misconduct while Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police. As Mr Veale was by then serving as Chief Constable of Cleveland, at the conclusion of the investigation, the IOPC report was sent to the then PCC for Cleveland (Barry Coppinger) following which it was agreed that he would be subject to a management action plan put in place by the PCC, including an ongoing programme of professional development.

Home Office: Expenditure

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide a breakdown of how the additional funding allocated to the Home Office in theSpending Review for fighting economic crime will be spent.

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toprovide information onhow much of the fundingallocated to the Home Office in the Spending Review for fighting economic crime willreach crime-fighting agencies.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In total, the SR21 settlement and the Economic Crime Levy represent an overall package of circa £400 million to tackle economic crime over the next three years, including support for the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) and law enforcement.   This investment will allow us to: continue to deliver our in-flight Suspicious Activity Reporting and Illicit Finance programmes, as well as investing in new fraud and anti-money laundering capabilities. For fraud, we will invest in the law enforcement response, work with industry to remove the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit online, and replace the current Action Fraud system with a new Fraud and Cyber Reporting and Analysis Service (with specific allocations subject to internal departmental allocations processes which are still ongoing).

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Private Rented Housing: Registration

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to introduce a registration scheme requiring people letting properties to notify the local authority.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has committed to exploring proposals for introducing a landlord register in England as part of a commitment to bring forward reforms to drive improvements in privately rented accommodation and support local authorities to conduct well targeted effective enforcement that drives out criminal landlords.We have conducted an initial phase of user research with a range of potential users of a register such as private landlords, local authority enforcement officers, letting agents and tenants. We will publish a White Paper in Spring this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.

Cabinet Office

10 Downing Street: Alcoholic Drinks

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of reports of a drinking culture in No 10 Downing Street; and what records they have, if any, of ministers or staff being intoxicated on the premises since March 2020.

Lord True: I would refer the noble Lady to PQ114640, answered by the Prime Minister on 31 January:The Civil Service Code governs the overarching conduct of civil servants. This includes the requirement to “always act in a way that is professional”.The Government has accepted the Second Permanent Secretary’s general findings in full. As the published update states, steps must be taken “to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”

Procurement: Xinjiang

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether safeguards around government procurement prevent goods produced by slave labour in Xinjiang from entering UK supply chains.

Lord True: This government is committed to preventing modern slavery occurring in public sector supply chains.The Cabinet Office has published commercial policy and guidance setting out the steps that all Government departments must take to identify and mitigate modern slavery and labour abuse risks throughout the commercial life cycle focussing on the areas of highest risk. This policy is mandatory for all Central Government Departments, their Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies. The policy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0519-tackling-modern-slavery-in-government-supply-chains.Modern Slavery PPN 05/19 (pdf, 235.3KB)TACKLING MODERN SLAVERY IN GOVERNMENT SUPPLY CHAIN (pdf, 8365.8KB)

Public Sector: CCTV

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the nationalsecurity implications of government departments using Chinese-made surveillance cameras and technology; and what assessment they have made of the use of such cameras by (1) local councils, (2) schools, and (3) NHS trusts.

Lord True: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the security arrangements of government buildings. Specific details regarding the use of security systems by public bodies are withheld on national security grounds.

Regency Act 1937

Viscount Stansgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Regency Act 1937.

Lord True: The Government has no plans to amend the Regency Act.

Treasury

Disguised Remuneration Loan Charge Review: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a table showing the number of promoters of disguised remuneration schemes who have been prosecuted; and the outcomes of such prosecutions.

Baroness Penn: Promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not in and of itself a criminal offence. However, there are a range of offences which might be committed by those who promote tax avoidance schemes or advise on their use. On that basis, one individual involved in the promotion of Disguised Remuneration (DR) schemes has been prosecuted. They received a sentence of two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 300 hours of “unpaid work”. A number of individuals are currently under criminal investigation by HMRC for offences linked to DR Schemes. In addition, since 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance. These have resulted in over 100 years of custodial sentences. The majority of these convictions relate to promoters. The Government and HMRC are committed to tackling promoters and operators of tax avoidance schemes. This includes challenging the entities and individuals who promote DR loan schemes.

Tax Avoidance

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make the facilitation of tax avoidance a crime.

Baroness Penn: HMRC has a range of criminal and civil powers available to it to tackle those who try to cheat the tax system and will continue to use its anti-avoidance regimes to challenge the entities and individuals who facilitate avoidance schemes. These regimes include Promoters of Tax Avoidance Schemes, Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes, and the Enablers regimes, which impose significant penalties on promoters if they refuse to comply with various conditions. There are also a range of possible criminal offences, such as cheating the public revenue, fraudulent evasion of Income Tax or VAT, or the general offence of fraud. Where the behaviour of avoidance promoters strays into these offences, they will be considered for criminal investigation. Since April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements promoted and marketed as tax avoidance schemes. The courts ordered over 100 years of custodial sentences. The majority of these individuals were promoters.

Emigration: EU Nationals

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the loss to the Treasury of (1) tax, and (2) National Insurance, from individuals from Europe who have returned to the EU since the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the loss to the Treasury in (1) tax, and (2) National Insurance, from jobs previously undertaken in the UK that were outsourced to other parts of the world in (a) 2015, and (b) 2021.

Baroness Penn: HMRC has not made any assessment of the loss to the Treasury of tax or National Insurance from:individuals from Europe who have returned to the EU since the UK’s departure from the EU, orjobs previously undertaken in the UK that were outsourced to other parts of the world in (a) 2015, and (b) 2021.

Energy: Prices

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect the increase in the energy price cap will have on the (1) Retail Price Index, and (2) Consumer Price Index.

Baroness Penn: In its February Monetary Policy Report (MPR), the Bank of England set out its view of the likely impact of the cap increase, using information available just prior to Ofgem’s cap announcement, and prior to the announcement of the Government support packages. The Bank’s February 2022 MPR can be found on the Bank of England website. The Office for Budget Responsibility will update its view of the outlook for CPI and RPI inflation in its spring 2022 forecast on 23 March. The Government recognises that many households will need support to help deal with the rising cost of energy prices. Global supply chain disruptions and higher energy prices both represent challenges that are driving higher inflation. These are global problems which we are working with our international partners on, and we are supporting households with the cost of living, providing support worth around £12bn this financial year and next alongside an announced £9.1bn package to help households with rising energy bills in 2022-23.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadcasting: Scots Gaelic Language

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with (1) the BBC, and (2) the Scottish government, about provisions for the (a) protection and (b) enhancement, of Gaelic broadcasting in any broadcasting White Paper.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The UK Government has a strong record of demonstrating its commitment to minority language broadcasting, including broadcasting in Scottish Gaelic, to ensure that our broadcasting sector serves all audiences of the UK. This includes the requirement in the Government’s Framework Agreement with the BBC for it to support the provision of output in Gaelic in Scotland and to operate a television channel (BBC Alba) in partnership with MG ALBA.Such broadcasting has an important role to play in the UK’s broadcasting ecology, providing not only an opportunity for people to access content in a language familiar to them, but as a means of cultural expression for communities across the UK.The Government is undertaking a strategic review of public service broadcasting in order to ensure that viewers across the whole UK continue to benefit from a system capable of meeting their needs, now and in the future. In undertaking this work the Government is engaging with a wide range of interested parties including the devolved administrations and the BBC, as well as other broadcasters, industry bodies, and viewer interest groups. We will set out the review's conclusions in due course.

Children: Reading

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the Summer Reading Challenge in 2022 to ensure that children have access to reading materials over the summer holidays; and, in particular, how they will support children in areas where reading is uncommon.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government recognises the vital part reading and public libraries play in the lives of so many people, and the pleasure they bring to people of all ages. The Reading Agency, with funding from the Government via Arts Council England, will deliver the Summer Reading Challenge, in 2022, in partnership with public libraries. The theme this year celebrates science and innovation, as well as the key role of the imagination in both reading and the sciences.Almost all library authorities in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies will take part in the Summer Reading Challenge in 2022. This includes 27 authorities who will adopt an extended cross-authority approach to delivering the Summer Reading Challenge this year (an increase from 11 in the first year). This involves local authorities working with strategic partners in education, children’s services, and public health to widen reach and engagement for children living in areas of disadvantage through schools, early years provision, and other community settings.The Reading Agency anticipates the Challenge in 2022 has the potential to reach one million children. This will include those in urban locations, particularly in the Midlands and North of England, large counties with fairly large rural communities, as well as coastal communities and the first pilot authorities in Scotland.

Loneliness: Finance

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commit further funding to address loneliness during winter this year.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: In 2018, HM Government launched the world’s first tackling loneliness strategy. Since 2018 we have invested almost £50 million in tackling loneliness. This includes over £34 million in reducing loneliness for response to COVID-19 as part of the £750 million voluntary and community sector funding package.In September 2021 we launched the Loneliness Engagement Fund, which provided small grants between £15,000 and £50,000 to organisations which could engage with target groups at high risk of loneliness. Nine organisations received grants through the fund, including charities supporting disabled people and young people.The Government also plays a role in tackling loneliness by setting national direction and supporting other organisations across society to play their part. The tackling loneliness strategy sets out three objectives for the Government's work to tackle loneliness:reducing the stigma associated with feeling lonely, by building a national conversation through our communications campaigns;driving a lasting shift so loneliness is considered in policy-making and delivery by organisations across sectors; andbuilding the evidence base, making a compelling case for action across society.The Government is continuing to take action to tackle loneliness this winter, including through a new communications campaign launched in January which encourages young people to take small actions to “lift someone out of loneliness”. We continue to support organisations to take action on loneliness through our Tackling Loneliness Network. We are supporting Network members to connect and share resources through our digital platform.

Women and Equalities

Disability Unit and Government Equalities Office

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government to provide the (1) budget, and (2) staffing at each grade, for the (a) Disability Unit, and (b) Government Equalities Office.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: From 1st April 2021, the Equality Hub received a budget settlement covering all units - the Government Equalities Office, the Disability Unit, the Race Disparity Unit and the Social Mobility Commission. This settlement for the 2021/22 financial year was £18.6m. Within this, the Government Equalities Office budget for 2021/22 as of January 2022 is £9.5m and the Disability Unit budget is £3.6m.With regards to staffing, the latest staffing allocation - on a full-time equivalent basis - is shown in the table below. SCS2SCS1G6G7SEOHEOEOTOTALGEO0.2541028.327.428.410.5108.85DU0.251.21.86.69.62.2122.65Budgets and staffing allocations for future years are currently being determined and we will provide the usual update to the Women and Equalities Committee in due course.